Throughout history, many professions have come and gone, getting replaced by more modern ones brought by technological advances. Twenty years ago, working as a VHS Player repairer was the norm; nowadays, it’s been replaced by phone and appliances repairmen.

Some jobs didn’t completely disappear, but they lost a lot of their prestige and importance. Here is our list of top 5 professions that were once very highly regarded.

1. Moirologists

In Ancient Egypt, Europe during the Gothic Period and a few European countries at the end of the 20th century, moirologist was a legitimate profession. The job of a moirologist was to attend a person’s funeral and mourn during the burial.

These professional mourners were regarded very highly and considered a cultural aspect of a country. There were many depictions of a moirologist in classic literature and even in modern poetry.

2. Bank Manager

Bank managers were as respected as doctors and lawyers back in the day. To become a bank manager, one has to possess extensive knowledge of the banking procedure and was in charge of all the lending decisions at the branch.

Nowadays, their job has been cut by a lot due to automation. There are computer programs that can calculate and make a lending decision in a blink of the eye. It’s not necessary for a bank manager to know their customers extensively and posses all the technical knowledge.

A bank manager nowadays is a role more involved with sales than the technical aspect of banking. As such, they are less respected, and they are viewed more like a sale team’s leader.

3. Photographer

Before our digital age, being a photographer was a huge undertaking. If you wanted to take a picture back then, you had to go to a professional. They knew everything about photography – from light manipulation, photo production and development to camera angle and more.

Nowadays, the job of a photographer has been made a lot easier due to all the assistance a digital camera offer. They are not as highly respected as they once were

4. Cobbler

A cobbler is basically a shoemaker and repairer. Back in the day, people didn’t just throw away their shoes when they broke. They’d go to the cobbler instead and get their shoes fixed.

With technology advances in recent years, shoes became a lot cheaper to make and people don’t tend to keep the broken ones to get them fixed – they just throw them away. Although a cobbler is still in demand in some areas, the profession isn’t as popular nowadays.

5. Typist

Knowing how to type was a real skill back in the 1950s. A typewriter was expensive back then and you couldn’t afford to make a mistake with a typewriter – there is no backspace. So, knowing how to type with high accuracy and fast speed was a skilled trade.

Fast forward to today and everyone – even the elderly and kids know how to type. Being able to type fast and accurately is no longer considered an advanced skill – it’s one of the most basic skills that you need to know to use a computer. Needless to say that being a typist doesn’t make one stand out anymore.

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